But it is only a game, a small fraction of my life, and I am only a silver player. Unless I'm suffering constant crashes not hard to please me with factions I'll never touch.
Here's hoping Star Trek Online finds it's spot now in it's 3rd year like The next Generation, and Deep Space nine did on theirs, Hell even Enterprise got good on it's 3rd year, and Voyager got Seven.
So here is hoping May is the 3 year mark of good things to come, and So'Hot, is STO's Seven of nine.
I am hopeful, but honestly, Cryptic doesn't have my faith. Experience has led me to much disappointment in the past. So let's say I'm excited at the potential of the Expansion, but leery of the results until I actually see the product.
:rolleyes:
You can find/contact me in game as @PatricianVetinari. Playing STO since Feb 2010.
Let's just say that after the Valentine's Day debacle, lack of news on new content, and more star base fluff, I was nearly to the point of asking for a refund on my life-time membership. Now, some of my faith has been restored, but I'm still cautiously optimistic. We will have to just see how the Romulan faction plays out. It is definitely exciting, though. You can imagine how hard the servers are going to explode on May 21rst. My gawd will they explode! Cryptic should just have the following disclaimer put into the launcher a few days before Rommie launch: "Be advised: servers will probably explode so there is a 99.9% chance that we will have to do emergency maintenance on the servers the night of the 21rst. "
Waiting one day more after all these years, should in theory be trivial. Yet it is curiously enough a rather unbearable thought. Suffering countless setbacks, freezes, lag and crashes, ordinarily seen as torture, suddenly becomes a sultry mistress of endless temptation, even when it hurts. :P
The more I hear about it, the less enthused I am. No TNG Romulan uniforms because some dev thinks they looked stupid? How about, no zen purchased because that dev is an idiot.
"Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society." - Aristotle
The more I hear about it, the less enthused I am. No TNG Romulan uniforms because some dev thinks they looked stupid? How about, no zen purchased because that dev is an idiot.
Who said it was stupid? (proof please)
If this is true, then that is pretty silly. That's basically telling your customer base that THEY are stupid.
The Devs should have 0 negativity toward anything that is to do with the Star Trek brand, after all it is the "stupid" people paying their wages*
*while making and/or doing anything for this game, obviously they are allowed to have an opinion about start trek and anything in it as an individual but to say it from work (forum/work name) is over the top and down right disgraceful if you ask me.
[SIGPIC] Element CKY Electric [/SIGPIC]
"similar to our already generous free-to-play philosophy" - Insert Keith Lemon laugh
Plenty of fans grew up with TNG, and those shoulderpads were the hallmark of the Romulans back then. It would be a missed opportunity to forgo them, if there is any justice in the world. ( I'm fully aware that the justice part is largely a variable though. )
I am hopeful, but honestly, Cryptic doesn't have my faith. Experience has led me to much disappointment in the past. So let's say I'm excited at the potential of the Expansion, but leery of the results until I actually see the product.
:rolleyes:
I fully agree with this. It's at the point where I have set my expectations from the dev team so low I can't actually be disappointed or surprised anymore...
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] ***Disenchanted***
Real Join Date: Monday, 17 May 2010
The more I hear about it, the less enthused I am. No TNG Romulan uniforms because some dev thinks they looked stupid? How about, no zen purchased because that dev is an idiot.
Can you provide a link for that? That's ... disturbing.
Is my faith in Cryptic back? My belief in Cryptic has never left.
I've been a lifer since the first day they were offered back in Open Beta. I purchased almost every game box release offered. I've purchased almost every single item from the C-Store and most items on the Lobi store. I own at least 1 copy of every lockbox ship. I think I have around 18 character slots unlocked. Several of my characters have multiple ship slots and multiple BOff slots unlocked. Couple of my characters have max DOFF slots unlocked. I have 14 characters with 10 at level 50 (7 VA/3 LG). 1 max crafter. All of my Fed characters are in a single-player fleet with an almost T2 SB and working on T1 embassy. I've experienced almost all of the missions available in STO however I don't PvP and don't care to experience the STFs.
I've seen the term "whale" applied for the type of customer I've been of Cryptics STO, and most likely my expenditures over the years put me at the "blue whale" level (being the largest of the terran whales).
I accept STO for the amusement park MMO that it is and never expect it to become something that it isn't or can never be. I've enjoyed the entertainment I've experienced with Cryptic's offering of their vision and version of the ST IP and feel that I've received more than an adequate return on my investment in my entertainment.
And now I'm going to finally be able to play a Romulan character in a Romulan faction and fly Romulan ships in space after waiting 3 years.
My belief in the company never left and I am glad to see that once again it was well-placed. And once again, my purchase of an LTS way back before release has proven to have been a majorly wise decision on my part.
I am just amazed this game is still running, let alone adding another faction. I barely play but I will mess around with the Romulans once they launch.
Source unverified, but I'm hoping to get at least a name for the liberally paraphrased statement.
Let me see if I can track down where I first saw it mentioned; its a bit tough with all these Romulan threads around.
Thanks. That's just really scary. I mean yeah, they're not the snazziest unifornms in all of Star Trek history, but they're a bit better than the TOS ones. And I mean, they're as distinctly Romulan as the Spine Armor and spikey bits are Klingon.
I am just amazed this game is still running, let alone adding another faction. I barely play but I will mess around with the Romulans once they launch.
PWE are loaded...keep up.
This game alone could print enough money for a small city. :cool:
[SIGPIC] Element CKY Electric [/SIGPIC]
"similar to our already generous free-to-play philosophy" - Insert Keith Lemon laugh
The more I hear about it, the less enthused I am. No TNG Romulan uniforms because some dev thinks they looked stupid? How about, no zen purchased because that dev is an idiot.
I am fairly certain that comment was more tongue and cheek then any actual policy from Cryptic.
That said, even if that represents THAT devs point of view. I think you underestimate how much power one person has. My guess would be unless Dan Stahl says "No", everything is open to debate.
Honestly, I was not a fan of the TNG uniforms. I kind of liked the Nemesis ones. Those are cool looking.
I've seen the term "whale" applied for the type of customer I've been of Cryptics STO, and most likely my expenditures over the years put me at the "blue whale" level (being the largest of the terran whales).
That means you have a turn rate of 6, something like 4 engineering consoles, and one too many Engineering Ensign BOFF available in your DNA.
That's OK though. I've already started a thread to get you and others BUFFED!
Note that the TOS uniforms are also 'completely silly' so who knows? perhaps we won't even get the TOS uniforms for our officers.
Edit:
Keep in mind that none of the uniforms showcased on the teaser page show off anything resembling the TNG-era uniforms or even the updated uniforms already worn by the RSE soldiers in-game. They look a bit mroe like the jacket Nero wore in JJ trek, if anything.
iam going to wait and see approach on this, as soo many times ive been burned ASSUMING things, so faith in cryptic.. a little restored but will see come the big expansion release in may.
There was never a "golden age" for STO, STO sputtered along while it killed a developer and was dropped by another one, and was cobbled together rapidly. In fact, the strange thing is, a lot of the vets who were at F2P launch were screaming how horrible things were - and those same vets these days look to those pre-F2P days as the "good old days."
Well, to be fair - Cryptic (and STO and CO) SAVED Atari (well, the French Infogames company that now calls itself Atari) -- Yes, they sold Cryptic and because of how French business law works - were able to redo their books from 2009 to the time of the sale to make themselves look more solvent then they actually were, but remember:
1) Atari bought Cryptic for $20 million in 2008 and then sold it for $50 million in 2011 to PWE. They took 30 million of that and paid off creditors who were at the door waiting to gut the company.
2) During the time Atari held Cryptic; Cryptic accounted for 40% of Atari's revenue generation during that period.
So, say what you will, but Cryptic itself had enough success to keep one company afloat while it maneuvered to sell it's ONE valuable asset (Cryptic) for $50 million; which allowed it to remain in business in a better position then it had been in.
just saying.
Formerly known as Armsman from June 2008 to June 20, 2012 PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
Well, to be fair - Cryptic (and STO and CO) SAVED Atari (well, the French Infogames company that now calls itself Atari) -- Yes, they sold Cryptic and because of how French business law works - were able to redo their books from 2009 to the time of the sale to make themselves look more solvent then they actually were, but remember:
1) Atari bought Cryptic for $20 million in 2008 and then sold it for $50 million in 2011 to PWE. They took 30 million of that and paid off creditors who were at the door waiting to gut the company.
2) During the time Atari held Cryptic; Cryptic accounted for 40% of Atari's revenue generation during that period.
So, say what you will, but Cryptic itself had enough success to keep one company afloat while it maneuvered to sell it's ONE valuable asset (Cryptic) for $50 million; which allowed it to remain in business in a better position then it had been in.
just saying.
but PWE have bottom-less pockets, so $50M is nothing (to them)
they make that a week, on one of their PVP games just from Zen sales! :P
[SIGPIC] Element CKY Electric [/SIGPIC]
"similar to our already generous free-to-play philosophy" - Insert Keith Lemon laugh
I'll wait and see how S8 actually looks, and how many gamebreaking bugs and horrifically unpopular changes are pushed to holodeck after being reported by testers before I decide anything.
My main concern is how Romulan players will be for starbase and all the other dili/mark sinks. The game is drained of all the above and to get players to sign up for the long grind will be... interesting.
Actions speak louder than announcements. They've hyped things in the past that haven't turned out the way they hyped them.
So, we'll see.
Bingo!!
Time will tell i suppose, and funnily enough i dug out my log in details today, did three grind stf's and logged out, its amazing that even a few months of not playing them at this stage does not lessen just how quickly the grind fatigue hits you when you come back. lol
Anyway i am keeping my expectations very low on this one, somewhere round a likes of a new rom shiny bauble, charactors and ships, with about the same or less content than the Klingon fac has at present, if its any more than that then i will be impressed.
My main concern is how Romulan players will be for starbase and all the other dili/mark sinks. The game is drained of all the above and to get players to sign up for the long grind will be... interesting.
The problem is, whoever is in charge...
Grind = longer time playing = more profit (from more/new Zen sales)
This isn't directed toward PWE as all P2W games do it, it's a brilliant business model but it's stale, I don't blame them for not changing it if the money is flowing in. I know I sure as hell wouldn't.
But if it WAS up to me, I would never allow these long grinds in games, instead quality CHEAPER store items would win over the crowd, along with small but frequent updates to the base game.
Much better to have 100 people buy something at $5 than 10 buying something at $20.
I dunno, I suck at maths but I'm pretty sure my wallet would be bigger :P
[SIGPIC] Element CKY Electric [/SIGPIC]
"similar to our already generous free-to-play philosophy" - Insert Keith Lemon laugh
but PWE have bottom-less pockets, so $50M is nothing (to them)
they make that a week, on one of their PVP games just from Zen sales! :P
Not quite if you look at the first page of the 4th Quarter 2012 earnings - their not doing poorly by any stretch compared to some other companies, but still - overall earnings were down from Q4 2011:
Gross Q4 profit (before expenses, etc) was $83.9 million and Gross 2012 FY profit was reported at $358 million
^^^^
But the above is for Perfect World (China) as a whole - of which the North American branch (PWE - which oversees Cryptic and Runic Games) is a part of and they don't distill out PWE's contribution to the above total; and in fact the only metion of Cryptic Studios directly in the report is regarding their high hopes for the upcoming launch of NeverWinter.
So in the end, $50 million spent on an asset for their subsidiary (PWE); not to mention the continued financial support and development of STO in particular seems a big chunk of change no matter how you look at it.
Formerly known as Armsman from June 2008 to June 20, 2012 PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
Comments
But it is only a game, a small fraction of my life, and I am only a silver player. Unless I'm suffering constant crashes not hard to please me with factions I'll never touch.
So here is hoping May is the 3 year mark of good things to come, and So'Hot, is STO's Seven of nine.
:rolleyes:
You can find/contact me in game as @PatricianVetinari. Playing STO since Feb 2010.
Waiting one day more after all these years, should in theory be trivial. Yet it is curiously enough a rather unbearable thought. Suffering countless setbacks, freezes, lag and crashes, ordinarily seen as torture, suddenly becomes a sultry mistress of endless temptation, even when it hurts. :P
---
Who said it was stupid? (proof please)
If this is true, then that is pretty silly. That's basically telling your customer base that THEY are stupid.
The Devs should have 0 negativity toward anything that is to do with the Star Trek brand, after all it is the "stupid" people paying their wages*
*while making and/or doing anything for this game, obviously they are allowed to have an opinion about start trek and anything in it as an individual but to say it from work (forum/work name) is over the top and down right disgraceful if you ask me.
---
I fully agree with this. It's at the point where I have set my expectations from the dev team so low I can't actually be disappointed or surprised anymore...
***Disenchanted***
Real Join Date: Monday, 17 May 2010
www.divisionhispana.com
Let me see if I can track down where I first saw it mentioned; its a bit tough with all these Romulan threads around.
I've been a lifer since the first day they were offered back in Open Beta. I purchased almost every game box release offered. I've purchased almost every single item from the C-Store and most items on the Lobi store. I own at least 1 copy of every lockbox ship. I think I have around 18 character slots unlocked. Several of my characters have multiple ship slots and multiple BOff slots unlocked. Couple of my characters have max DOFF slots unlocked. I have 14 characters with 10 at level 50 (7 VA/3 LG). 1 max crafter. All of my Fed characters are in a single-player fleet with an almost T2 SB and working on T1 embassy. I've experienced almost all of the missions available in STO however I don't PvP and don't care to experience the STFs.
I've seen the term "whale" applied for the type of customer I've been of Cryptics STO, and most likely my expenditures over the years put me at the "blue whale" level (being the largest of the terran whales).
I accept STO for the amusement park MMO that it is and never expect it to become something that it isn't or can never be. I've enjoyed the entertainment I've experienced with Cryptic's offering of their vision and version of the ST IP and feel that I've received more than an adequate return on my investment in my entertainment.
And now I'm going to finally be able to play a Romulan character in a Romulan faction and fly Romulan ships in space after waiting 3 years.
My belief in the company never left and I am glad to see that once again it was well-placed. And once again, my purchase of an LTS way back before release has proven to have been a majorly wise decision on my part.
They should be available.
PWE are loaded...keep up.
This game alone could print enough money for a small city. :cool:
I am fairly certain that comment was more tongue and cheek then any actual policy from Cryptic.
That said, even if that represents THAT devs point of view. I think you underestimate how much power one person has. My guess would be unless Dan Stahl says "No", everything is open to debate.
Honestly, I was not a fan of the TNG uniforms. I kind of liked the Nemesis ones. Those are cool looking.
That's OK though. I've already started a thread to get you and others BUFFED!
Note that the TOS uniforms are also 'completely silly' so who knows? perhaps we won't even get the TOS uniforms for our officers.
Edit:
Keep in mind that none of the uniforms showcased on the teaser page show off anything resembling the TNG-era uniforms or even the updated uniforms already worn by the RSE soldiers in-game. They look a bit mroe like the jacket Nero wore in JJ trek, if anything.
AT least I hope so...
Think I'll need the upgrade to the Scimitar as there is no current terran whale larger than a blue whale but I had to go with the biggest known.
Well, to be fair - Cryptic (and STO and CO) SAVED Atari (well, the French Infogames company that now calls itself Atari) -- Yes, they sold Cryptic and because of how French business law works - were able to redo their books from 2009 to the time of the sale to make themselves look more solvent then they actually were, but remember:
1) Atari bought Cryptic for $20 million in 2008 and then sold it for $50 million in 2011 to PWE. They took 30 million of that and paid off creditors who were at the door waiting to gut the company.
2) During the time Atari held Cryptic; Cryptic accounted for 40% of Atari's revenue generation during that period.
So, say what you will, but Cryptic itself had enough success to keep one company afloat while it maneuvered to sell it's ONE valuable asset (Cryptic) for $50 million; which allowed it to remain in business in a better position then it had been in.
just saying.
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
but PWE have bottom-less pockets, so $50M is nothing (to them)
they make that a week, on one of their PVP games just from Zen sales! :P
Bingo!!
Time will tell i suppose, and funnily enough i dug out my log in details today, did three grind stf's and logged out, its amazing that even a few months of not playing them at this stage does not lessen just how quickly the grind fatigue hits you when you come back. lol
Anyway i am keeping my expectations very low on this one, somewhere round a likes of a new rom shiny bauble, charactors and ships, with about the same or less content than the Klingon fac has at present, if its any more than that then i will be impressed.
Every time they've raised the bar of expectations, it's just been to make limbo-ing under easier on their backs.
I want to be hopeful, but can't.
The problem is, whoever is in charge...
Grind = longer time playing = more profit (from more/new Zen sales)
This isn't directed toward PWE as all P2W games do it, it's a brilliant business model but it's stale, I don't blame them for not changing it if the money is flowing in. I know I sure as hell wouldn't.
But if it WAS up to me, I would never allow these long grinds in games, instead quality CHEAPER store items would win over the crowd, along with small but frequent updates to the base game.
Much better to have 100 people buy something at $5 than 10 buying something at $20.
I dunno, I suck at maths but I'm pretty sure my wallet would be bigger :P
Not quite if you look at the first page of the 4th Quarter 2012 earnings - their not doing poorly by any stretch compared to some other companies, but still - overall earnings were down from Q4 2011:
http://www.pwrd.com/html/en/pdf/13_03_en_final.pdf
Gross Q4 profit (before expenses, etc) was $83.9 million and Gross 2012 FY profit was reported at $358 million
^^^^
But the above is for Perfect World (China) as a whole - of which the North American branch (PWE - which oversees Cryptic and Runic Games) is a part of and they don't distill out PWE's contribution to the above total; and in fact the only metion of Cryptic Studios directly in the report is regarding their high hopes for the upcoming launch of NeverWinter.
So in the end, $50 million spent on an asset for their subsidiary (PWE); not to mention the continued financial support and development of STO in particular seems a big chunk of change no matter how you look at it.
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."